A classic tale of the Napoleonic wars from R.F. Delderfield. After the British victory at Busaco during the Peninsula campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars, Ensign Keith Graham finds himself cut off from the army, along with a sergeant and seven privates. This ill-assorted, tattered band is joined by a Welsh campfollower, Gwyneth, and she and Sergeant Fox help nineteen-year-old Graham achieve both manhood and leadership. Struggling through strange, often hostile country, with insufficient food and sometimes mutinous men, his one aim is to reach the coast and, hopefully, safety . . .

Description du produit

Revue de presse

R.F. Delderfield is a born storyteller (Sunday Mirror)

His narratives belong in a tradition that goes back to John Galsworthy (Life Magazine)

Présentation de l'éditeur

A classic tale of the Napoleonic wars from R.F. Delderfield. After the British victory at Busaco during the Peninsula campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars, Ensign Keith Graham finds himself cut off from the army, along with a sergeant and seven privates. This ill-assorted, tattered band is joined by a Welsh campfollower, Gwyneth, and she and Sergeant Fox help nineteen-year-old Graham achieve both manhood and leadership. Struggling through strange, often hostile country, with insufficient food and sometimes mutinous men, his one aim is to reach the coast and, hopefully, safety . . .

This novel is set against the backdrop of Wellington's Penninsular campaign, around the year 1810. Wellington's army is retreating to Lisbon and being chased by a large force under Napoleon's Marshal Massena. 19 year-old British ensign Keith Graham is cut off with a squad of 8 men and a drummer boy after a nervous engineer prematurely detonates explosives destroying a bridge. The inexperienced Graham is aided first by a veteran sergeant, and later by a very wise Welsh camp follower named Gwyneth.

Fans of Cornwell's Sharpe's Rifles series will recognize many of the plot elements: a small force cut off behind enemy lines, the "war of atrocities" between the spanish partisans and the French, the need for constant vigilance against roving French cavalry patrols, etc. But of course this novel was written a generation before Cornwell even began the Sharpe's Rifles series, so if anyone borrowed, it was Cornwell, not Delderfield.

Graham has to learn alot about leadership and resourcefulness in a hurry. He comes to respect the courage and determination of his men, despite the class differences that create such a gulf between he and them. Above all he comes to respect and rely upon Gwyneth, the camp follower they meet along the way. A previous reviewer calls her a "Welsh wonder woman," which is not an exaggeration. Even though she is only a couple of years older than Grahm, she has been following the army for over five years. Still, that hardly seems sufficient time for her to have absorbed more strategy and tactics than Wellington and Napoleon combined. As Delderfield depicts her, she should have been a captain or a major; indeed, the war would have been over much sooner had she been commanding the entire British army. Not that this ruined the novel for me; I enjoyed it very much. It is clear that Delderfield has great respect for women and regards them as fully human, whereas Cornwell draws them only as prizes to be won by male bravery. This novel does not compare favorably to Cornwell only in that no major engagement is described, whereas Cornwell always includes a history lesson by desribing an important battle.

A short novel about the Peninsula War in 1810. Wellington's famous campaign is in the background while a callow English youth of 19 comes of age.

Keith Graham is the young man. His hard-earned lessons on living and leadership keep the story moving. And of course being a novel he has a love affair with a slightly older and much wiser camp follower named Gwyneth. The author leads us to believe that he becomes a seasoned military leader thanks to his escapades between the sheets. A bit far fetched but...

With the war as a backdrop life is fast-paced and in a fashion interesting.

It's a short novel almost a novella. Not a prize winner but OK for a rainy day.

Set during the Napoleonic era on land this adventure story transports readers to the Iberian Peninsula as the British Army is preparing for the siege of Lisbon. When his captain is brought down by a sniper Ensign Keith Graham at 19 suddenly finds himself the leader of a woeful band of survivors who lack direction. Unprepared for leadership and inexperienced in actual warfare the plucky youth must rally his wits to bring a group of nine to relative safety. Cut off from the rest of the outfit by the premature demolition of the only bridge over a river, they face the daunting task of crossing hostile territory, where both nature and enemy forces--Portuguese partisans and trained French soldiers--conspire for their ignoble defeat.

This maturation novel is ripe with surprise twists and evil schemes--revealing the gamut of human emotions: lust, avarice, cowardice, passion, heroism and self-sacrifice. During his perilous odyssey toward British lines Graham comes to rely on two people in particular for group survival in rugged, ultra hostile countryside: the veteran Sgt. Fox and the Welsh camp follower, Gwyneth, whose innate knowledge of men and military tactics makes her his secret second in command. Her womanly wisdom and domestic skills prove invaluable for the File, yet it is her feisty compassion for his inadequacies which catapults Graham into manhood.

The underlying theme of this book is that of the brotherhood of the Regiment which gradually becomes Graham's new family and claims his deepest devotion. Each member has different talents to exploit which contribute to their group survival. In his desperate attempts during this trek to the British fleet on the Tagus River Graham finds his personal courage while discovering the meaning--and cost--of loyalty. With a few loose threads dangling Delderfield almost sets us up for a sequel, This book proves a great read for lovers of Napoleonic historical fiction--what Forester has done for the British Navy, Delderfield has done for the Army!